Five uses for dry shampoo that you might not know about

For busy people, a good dry shampoo should be an essential in your hair care stash. Typically made with oil-absorbing powders and with a fabulous fragrance, a quick blast can instantly freshen up your hair, stretching out your style for a little longer when you don’t have the time (or inclination) to wash your hair.

But dry shampoo can be a useful space-saving product in your bathroom cabinet too, as this hero hair product also has several other uses that you may not know about. 

To start with, you’ll need a good product, and we’ve got a great recommendation – and at a great price. Percy & Reed Turn Up The Volume Volumising Dry Shampoo gives quick results and an incredible scent, and you’ll find a full size bottle inside the OK! Beauty Box, The Winter Wonderland Edit.

Here are some of the ways you can use your new dry shampoo…

1) Refresh your hair

First up, the obvious one, and a dry shampoo’s main purpose: to make your hair look and feel cleaner. The way it does this is that the powders in the formula soak up excess oil without leaving white marks – simply spray on where needed, wait a few seconds then rub in. It’s not a replacement for a proper lather up in the shower, but it can help to refresh your style when water’s not an option.

2) Add volume and texture

Dry shampoos can also be used as styling products, adding a little extra oomph to limp locks, as the starches in the formula wrap around each strand to boost their size. Hold your head upside down and spritz it into the roots for extra volume, or spray lightly throughout the lengths for more of a beachy, undone look.

3) Add grip to updos

Ever find that you’re trying to master the perfect ponytail or chic chignon, but the style keeps slipping? It could be that your hair’s TOO clean. A quick blast of dry shampoo through the lengths will give kirby grips and hair elastics something to grip onto.

4) Conceal roots

Gone are the days of chalky white sprays that are noticeable on anything less than platinum blondes – nowadays there are tinted formulas available in a range of shades, from brunette to redhead, and these are an excellent temporary way to hide outgrown roots or an emerging grey hairline.

5) Stop chafing

This one may come as a surprise, but dry shampoo can be used below the hairline too! The same ingredients that absorb oil in the hair can also soak up sweat on the skin, making it useful for minimising pesky chafing that comes with hot weather or when exercising. Mist on the inner thighs or in shoes to reduce the risk of irritation from rubbing.